Table: Tycoon's Trajectory

1926: Leo Kirch born in the Bavarian city of Würzburg, son of a small-time winemaker.

1956: Borrows money to buy German rights to Federico Fellini's La Strada. The film is a hit and forms the basis of what will become Europe's largest programming library.

1960-1980s: Kirch buys U.S.-made movies and TV programs, dubs them into German, and resells to public TV broadcasters at a hefty markup. Develops close relationships with politicians such as Helmut Kohl, who later becomes Chancellor.

1985: Kirch is main investor in Sat. 1, Germany's first commercial station